Ellen DeGeneres has NOT ended her friendship with Melissa Etheridge, despite a fake news story from one of this week’s tabloids. Gossip Cop can exclusively bust this claim. We’re told it’s not true.

A so-called “source” tells Life & Style that the talk show host “has stopped communicating” with the singer, despite the two having been friends for nearly 30 years. “It seems like Ellen’s cut Melissa out of her life,” says the outlet’s dubious insider. The “source” goes on to claim that DeGeneres has also shut out other friends for seemingly no reason, adding, “They say she’s not the friendly, funny and lovable Ellen everyone knew back in the day.”

But Gossip Cop checked in with a trustworthy source close to DeGeneres, who exclusively assures us she and Etheridge are still friends, and the tabloid’s entire report is simply untrue and “ridiculous.” Of course, we’ve repeatedly called out Life & Style for publishing false stories about the talk show host, so this latest fabrication comes as no surprise.